Exciting News and Lake Farm Park Quilts 2016 Post #1

My little business has grown exponentially this past year and boy oh boy is my schedule c-r-a-z-y right now!  Among other exciting news I have to share with you, I am currently arranging a number of speaking and teaching dates for 2016 and 2017.  I will share more on that here on my blog as contracts come in and official dates are booked.

Probably the most exciting news this past few weeks?  My first article for Machine Quilting Unlimited  has finally appeared!

I am so completely excited and even more thrilled that I am scheduled for two more articles and hopefully it is the beginning of more to come.  I have SO enjoyed writing about quilting and what an honor it is to have an article published in this magazine.  It really is the magazine for machine quilters.  I really really love what I am doing right now and the direction I am headed with quilts...and am feeling quite blessed!

In other news...

  ...Impermanence is going to MQX East!  This is very exciting for me because it is the very first full sized quilt of mine headed to an MQX show.  Well - full sized for me - which generally means large wall hanging!  I am thrilled and nervous and excited and all of the things that come along with being accepted into a juried show.  I entered in a different category than I have attempted in the past and I hope it was a good decision.  Today on my agenda outside of loading up the next client quilt I have in line will be to fix a few little things that the Road to California judges commented on.  Outside of that - it is just about ready to be boxed up once again and shipped off to another show.  Exciting!
  

   Now - I have been promising some photos from Quilts 2016 at Lake Farm Park in Kirtland, Ohio!  I may break this up into several posts as there were just so many beauties there and I took many photographs!

  This show is still going on for just a few more weeks and it is a must if you are in the north east Ohio area.  Certainly my favorite quilts donned loads of quilting.  It is definitely the trend in the quilt world and even in this regional show - quilts were stitched to the hilt!  Needless to say I drooled.  I have been saying for a decade now that every single year the quality of the entries get better and better, and this year was no exception.

 This quilt pieced by Harriet Treynor and quilted by Linda Sekerak was just an absolutely gorgeous quilt.  Wouldn't you love to have this displayed on your wall?  Just beautiful piecing, embroidery, and quilting.  These ladies really created something beautiful together. 
 

I really really loved the machine quilting on this simple quilt below pieced by Joyce Hillick Ely...and how funny when I noticed the quilter was also Linda Sekerak!  I think I like Linda's style! 

Look at that texture!  The border fabric is gorgeous too...and the judges were pleased as I spy a pretty ribbon hanging there. 

Now, I am not a hand quilter but look at this beauty pieced and hand quilted by Carol Morris...I couldn't help but take a photo.  It is absolutely lovely!

I took a hand quilting class from Carol years ago when I was still discovering my place in the quilting world and when I still had a quilt shop fairly local to me.  I still have the hand out she gave us!  She was a very kind and thoughtful teacher and I really enjoyed the time I had learning from her.  I always look for her quilts at the show and am amazed at the incredible patience she has.  Just gorgeous!

Now this quilt pieced and quilted by Joanne Fox - oh DROOL!  This was my absolute favorite quilt of the show.  Hands down!  The piecing is FABULOUS and the quilting...oh love!   

Gorgeous gorgeous feathering and cross hatching...and how creatively how she quilted the piecing.  Everything about it is just beautiful!

I told you this is a good show!  I didn't even see the little flowers in the quilting behind the name card there until just now!  There was quite a crowd around this one and so I had a hard time getting good pictures, but I managed these few...what a stunner.

I will save the rest for the next post...along with a couple of recently finished customer quilts that I have yet to share.

Happy quilting...and happy spring...almost!

Halloween Wall Hanging and Modern Pinwheels in Houston

It is hard to believe it is the day before Halloween already!  Where has the time gone?  Well - at least I was able to finish this wall hanging of Monica's before Halloween...so technically it's right on time!

I think that since it's been a few weeks since I have touched my long arm I really got into this one!  There were so many neat little shapes and spaces to play in so I had fun.  Monica is always really fun to quilt for because not only does she send me really cute quilts, she gives me a lot of design freedom and that is the BEST!

I don't know why that shirt screamed pinstripes to me!  I thought all of the different textures really bring this witchy gal to life.

I wanted to do something in the face that gave the idea of a wrinkled face...but nothing too scary because this witch is cute!  I think the kind of cheek/chin swirls really worked well.

This triangular border was my favorite to work on!  The quilting design is very geometric and Judy Madsen/Green Fairy inspired!  She does wonderful things with filling negative space with simple lines and fills.  What an inspiration to the quilting world she is.

I was going for sort of Victorian witch shoes with those swirls in the top of the shoe!

Even the back turned out pretty neat!

I took this off the frame to photograph but will load it back up as the same hunk of backing will be used for the Christmas wall hanging - up next!

I also wanted to quickly share a photo that my friend Mabel from Connected Threadz shared with me!  She is meeting with a group of the gals from CT in Houston and was kind enough to think of me and take a photograph of my quilt Modern Pinwheels hanging in the Meander Publishing booth!  That just meant the world to me and she took such a fantastic photo to boot!  It is SUCH a huge honor that my quilt was chosen to decorate the booth - some of my most admired quilting idols are there and to have just a small representation of my work a part of such a huge event...and for one of my favorite quilting magazines!  It's a big deal!  Woohoo!

Thank you again Mabel!  If you are in Houston this week for Quilt Festival you can view the quilt in booth 202 OR in the latest issue of Modern Quilts Unlimited along with instructions!

Hey, my quilt is going to Houston!

LOL!  Ok ok, it's going to Houston, but not in the show!  LOL!  I still dream of having a quilt accepted to the Houston International Quilt Festival...and in my really wild dreams winning a ribbon there...but I have equally fantastic news to share!  I was just given the all clear to share that a quilt of mine called Modern Pinwheels  will be hanging in the Meander Publishing booth at Houston!  The quilt design will be in the upcoming issue of Modern Quilting Unlimited out on store shelves the end of the month.  Yay!!!  Here is a photo I was forwarded to share:

Modern Quilts Unlimited is put out by Meander Publishing - also responsible for the amazing publication that is Machine Quilting Unlimited!  Visit http://machinequilting.mqumag.com for magazine and subscription in formation.  :)